I Walked Across An Empty Land
by Hey Napoleon
Summary: A new student arrives at McKinley. How will her story intertwine with the New Directions? Plenty of our favourite couples Klaine, Britanna and some Finchel. Eventual OC/Santana or perhaps other. We'll see how it goes...would love reviews!
1. Welcome to McKinley

Being the new girl is never easy. I should know 'cause I've been the new girl so many times I've lost count. Five schools in different districts, one in a different country. This is not how I'd have chosen my life to be.

The car pulled up outside of the building. Kids were mulling about everywhere, like a cruel and deathly sea. I closed my eyes.

"Beth. Beth!"

My eyes flew open once more, my expression turning from exasperated to angry, as it always did when my gaze fell upon my father. He was looking at me sternly.

"Here we are. I've arranged everything with the Principal. You go to his office and he'll have someone show you around. Now go, or you'll be late."

I sighed and glanced out of the window, dreading this new school, the new people who would hate me, the new classes I would hate.

"How many time do I have to tell you? Go!"

I vigorously opened the door and stepped out onto the curb. I slammed the car door shut before my father drove away. I looked after his fancy, black car, not wanting the feeling of homesickness that was washing over me as it vanished. I hated that car and my father…but it was the most familiar thing I had in these new surroundings.

Taking another deep breath I shifted my bag on my shoulder and marched towards the school building, skirting around the edge of the different cliques. I felt like a stranger, an alien being. Nobody took any notice of me, but that's just how I liked it.

I walked up the small staircase before proceeding into the school building. Great…no signposts. How the hell was I supposed to know where the principals office was? I glanced at my watch. The bell would probably be ringing soon and the hallways would fill up with shouting, laughing, chattering teenagers, all whom I didn't want to interact with.

I took off down the corridor at a fast pace and rounded a corner. Two boys were standing by a locker, laughing about something. I turned the other way and walked briskly down another corridor. Lockers lined the walls, different to my last school, which had been in England.

"Principal's office…where are you? C'mon…" I muttered to myself, glancing down another long hallway.

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness." a voice said from my right.

I swivelled around and came face to face with a teenage boy with perfect pale skin, styled hair and an outfit to die for.

I gave him a once over before replying.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" I snapped, narrowing my eyes.

"Hey sister. I was only joking. You're new aren't you? Well, that sort of attitude isn't going to get you anywhere."

I shuffled my feet awkwardly. Was I going to take the high road or was I going to sink deeper into the pit of gloom I called a life. I sighed.

"Sorry. I was looking for the Principal's office? Any help?" I asked, trying to place a smile on my face but failing miserably.

"Sure thing. I'll show you the way. Want me to give you a little tour while I'm at it?" the boy asked in his falsetto voice as we walked down the corridor.

"Nah, that's alright. The principal told my dad that he'd do it…or something." I explained.

"Ok then. Well I'm sure you'll like it here…" he said.

I noticed him grimace suddenly before plastering a smile on his face again a split second later.

"This is it. Principal Figgins' office." he stated, grinning. "See you around!"

"Yeah, bye." I said as the boy walked away.

I pushed open the glass door as I saw a secretary sitting on the other side.

"Hello. How may I help you?" she asked monotonously as I stepped inside.

"I'm new here. I have an appointment with the Principal…"

"Oh, I see!" she took a moment to type something into her computer at the speed of light before glancing up at me with a bored smile. "Beth Tarrant, is it?"

"That's me." I replied, awkwardly.

"Take a seat. I'll go alert the Principal to your arrival."

She got up from her desk and walked into the Principal's office. I couldn't see why the blasted woman couldn't have just tapped on the glass as the office had glass walls. Before I had too much time to mull this over however, the secretary opened the door and gestured her inside the office. I sat down automatically on one of the chairs before looking at the headmaster.

"Well, the first thing I can say is welcome to McKinley, Beth." he said chirpily. "I'm Principal Figgins and we're glad to have you."

As he warbled on about classes and documents I couldn't help but wonder how life at this school could be different from the last. As I'd done at each new high school I'd been to in the past year and a half. As Principal Figgins started handing me pamphlets and documents from across the desk I snapped back into the conversation.

"As you'll see, there are many clubs you can join. Popular ones being the cheerleading squad for girls and the football team for boys, but there are an array of other ones if you care to look at these pamphlets…"

'Oh great' I thought to myself. 'Another school filled with neanderthal football players and bitchy cheerleaders'.

As Principal Figgins came to the end of his welcome speech I plastered a grin on my face.

"Why, thank you Principal Figgins. It's an honour to be at your school." I said sweetly, wanting to vomit at my own fakeness. "I'm sure I'll be very happy here."

"I'm glad to hear it!" he replied happily. "Now, let's get you a tour guide.'

He got up from behind his desk and marched out of the office, leaving both doors marginally open. I turned around in my seat to see who was to be showing me around this place. The bell had conveniently just rung in the middle of our little talk and so the corridor was filled to the brim with students. The Principal craned his neck before he waved someone over. I'd hoped it would be the girly boy from before. At least he had some sliver of humour in him and didn't seem to be horrible...but no, instead of the porcelain boy or in fact any other student, a man, presumably a teacher, stepped through the throng of students.

The man was rather short, thin and had hair styled in Jherri Curls, kinda like Michael Jackson in his Thriller phase. How naff. Principal Figgins conversed with the man in question before ushering him into the office. I gazed at him hopelessly. I didn't want to be stuck with a teacher all day. No sir-ee.

"Hey there Beth. I'm Mr Schuester, the Spanish teacher." he said, beaming at me.

"Spanish? I love Spanish! It was my favourite subject at my last school!" I answered, truly enthusiastic. His smile was infectious and I found myself grinning back at him.

"Well, I'm looking forward to seeing you in my class." he said happily before Principal Figgins stepped in.

"Beth, Mr Schuester also runs the show choir and he volunteered one of his students to take you around the school." he explained.

I nodded. Better than being with a teacher tour guide anyway. I picked up my bag and followed Mr Schuester out and down another maze of corridors.

"I'm sure you'll like it here. My Glee kids are great, I'm sure you'll be friends in no time."

"I don't wanna join the Glee Club." I stated quickly. I knew the reputation that Glee Club held in most high schools. Even in England, the stakes of being bullied were much higher if you were into theatre.

"Oh. Well, you don't have to, but I'm sure you'll find it interesting after sitting in a few times with your mentor."

"Are there a lot of kids in the club?"

"Well, we have 13." he explained. "We've taken Regionals two years running and we made it through to Nationals at the end of last year."

"That's great." I said absently.

As we rounded a corner, Mr Schuester suddenly opened a door and gently ushered me inside. I found myself in a room surrounded by twelve teenagers, all of whome stopped chatting to each other and looked at me, puzzled.

"Listen up guys. We have a new member of our school here with us today. This is Beth Tarrant everybody!"

There was a sudden sound of muffled hellos before one girl stood up, beaming at me. I cringed away as she walked over confidently and grasped my hand.

"Very nice to meet you. I'm Rachel Berry and although I do get most solos here in Glee Club do not be afraid to try, as we need all the backing singers we can get!"

I saw a blonde girl roll her eyes as the Rachel girl spoke. I pulled my hand away from her grasp.

"I'm not joining Glee Club!" I said, taking a step back. Mr Schu walked towards me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"No, she's right. She's not a new member of New Directions...but who knows what might happen? For the moment though guys, she needs a mentor and a tour guide. Anyone up for it?" he asked the class hopefully.

Rachel's eyes lit up and she was about to stand up again when I whispered a pleading "No!" to Mr Schu.

"How about you Finn? Or Puck? Quinn?"

"I've got loads of Spanish homework Mr Schu..." spluttered a broad-shouldered guy from the front, looking like he'd just awoken from a long slumber.

"I'm too bad ass to be a tour guide, Mr Schu." said a hot guy from the back. He had a mohawk and was raising his eyebrow as he looked at me. I glared back at him.

"I'd be happy to Mr Schuester, since nobody else wants to be welcoming." piped up a familiar voice from the back.

The boy that I'd met earlier stood up and descended from the platform where most of the chairs were placed. He walked towards me and extended his hand to shake mine.

"Kurt." he said, smiling warmly at me.

"Beth." I replied, shaking his hand, grateful that someone was vaguely pleased to see me.


	2. Fitting In

**Author's Notes:** Right, second chapter finally up. These first few chapters are just being about establishing 'Beth' as a character and allowing her to meet the other important characters in Glee. Some Klaine in this chapter, but not much. Hope you enjoy and please feel free to tell me what you think and/or give me suggestions!

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><p>The harsh ring of the bell alerted my new Home Ec. teacher to the fact that the lesson had come to an end. The girls around me started chattering, keeping their textbooks in their bags. It hadn't been a very productive lesson. They'd only looked over a few recipes and the teacher had talked to us about an upcoming project which sounded mildly interesting.<p>

"Lunch time!" sing-songed Kurt happily from beside me and I grinned at him.

My stomach rumbled coincidentally and I piled out of the classroom with my new found friend. Kurt had been very nice to me over the morning and I found him to very funny and very sarcastic, exactly the sort of things I cherished in people. He showed me to the cafeteria which was decorated in the usual school colours of red and white. The room was bustling and even though it surprised me to see some of the jocks intertwined with different cliques, I could still spot the popular table and the nerdy table easily. I picked up a tray and absently put a few things onto it.

"Woah there girlfriend." interjected Kurt, swatting my hand away from a plate of unrecognisable sludge.

"Gosh, thanks." I replied, glancing at it with disgust. "What the hell is that?"

Both Kurt and I chuckled as an angry lunch lady descended upon us. We hurried to pay and I followed Kurt through the maze of tables where he sat down with some other teens. I glanced uneasily at him.

"Sit down." he whispered before turning to the rest of the table who were looking expectantly at their friend. "Guys, this is Beth…Beth Tarrant. She's gonna sit with us at lunch today alright?"

"Sure!" beamed a black girl at me. "You were in Glee Club earlier right? How're you finding the school?"

"That's Mercedes by the way." interrupted Kurt, moving up so I could sit down.

"Hi. Yeah, that was me…and the school seems pretty OK." I replied, looking down the table towards the friendly girl. "So…"

"Oh, I'm Artie…"

A boy in a wheelchair extended his hands to me which were covered in a pair of protective and fingerless gloves. His enthusiastic smile brightened my outlook and I couldn't help but smile back as I shook his hand. The boy, Artie, wore a sweater vest, light pants, and glasses. I noticed that he was wearing a belt as well as the pair of braces he had on.

"Nice to meet you." I commented before glancing up the table. There were only two other people there, both Asian. The girl wore gothic make-up and a dark dress paired with burly boots. The boy was lean and had dark hair, he gave me a sheepish grin.

"I'm Tina, and this is my boyfriend, Mike." said the girl, happily.

"Hey Mike." I said, turning from Tina to face her beau. He was very good looking. I'd never really had a boyfriend before, and to be honest, I'd never really thought about it, but if I was to have one Mike certainly looked like a perfect candidate.

"Hi. Welcome to McKinley." he said.

"Thanks. Since how long have you two been dating?" I asked. I realised that it was rather a personal question but as I said, I didn't have much experience in the talking to boys department. I could see Kurt glancing at me from the corner of my eye.

"Over a year now. We got together at Asian Summer Camp." gushed Tina, clutching Mike's hand over the table and beaming at him.

He smiled back before pulling his hand away and grabbing his fork. Tina looked put out.

The conversation soon settled into a dull chatter and I was free to have a look around as I ate. My gaze immediately fell on the jocks' table as they were distinguishable from the rest of the student body with their red McKinley football jackets, as well as the cheerleaders who wore their matching red uniforms who were sat on the table closest to the boys. The jocks were joking loudly, looking, in my opinion, rather stupid. A black boy was making the most noise, shouting at some nerds who were scuttling past, keen to sit down and get away from the spotlight.

Most of the cheerleaders were giggling and gossiping together, stealing flirty glances at the jocks and making me feel sick to my stomach. As I dragged my eyes away I noticed another pair of red football jackets at a table in the corner of the room. The two boys seemed about the same build although they were very different in facial features. One of them had broad shoulders, dark hair and beady eyes and was sitting listening to a brunetter girl who I recognised to be Rachel. She was chattering away to him, her fork caught in mid air whilst his mind seemed to be dozing off. I took him to be the boy called Finn from the Glee Club. The other teen, who had very bright, blonde hair, had bright eyes and rather large lips. His look and style were very eye-catching but I saw there was no hope for me with him as I saw at whom he was looking at.

His gaze was lingering on another circular table where three girls were sitting together. One of them, who had dark hair, had her back to me, but I could see the others clearly. Both had blonde hair and were very lean and slender. They were very different though. One of them was giggling with the dark haired girl, had a dream, happy look about her whilst the other sat with her head in her hand, gazing outside, looking completely bored although not in an arrogant manner. She suddenly snapped out of her trance and as her eyes glanced over the students eating their lunch they lingered on me. She gave me a dirty look before I snapped my eyes away. Awkward…

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><p>At home that night I logged onto my Facebook account wanting to talk to Kurt about my day. I found his profile and added him as a friend. I didn't have to wait long until he accepted and thankfully, he was still online. I quickly called up the chat box.<p>

**Hey Kurt! It's me, Beth, from today? I was wondering if I could call you?**

_Beth! I was just about to send you a friend request. Sure thing, here's my number…_

He reeled off his number to me and I grabbed my cell and called him. He picked up after a few seconds with a bright greeting.

"Hey Kurt. Sorry to bother you…I just wanted to talk to you about my day. Ask a few questions and stuff…do you mind?"

"Not at all! I need a good girly chat actually…hang on a second, I just got a text."

"Sure thing." I replied as I listened to him grab his cellphone and scan his new message. Suddenly he was back on the other end of the receiver.

"Hey, I have a great idea. Can you come over?" he asked happily.

"Uh, yeah…sure!" I replied.

"Great, see you in a bit!" he trilled.

"Kurt, wait…where do you live?"

The boy laughed before he told me his address. I wrote it down quickly on a piece of paper, hung up and trampled downstairs. I grabbed the keys to my banged up old car, which I loved dearly, called to my dad not caring whether he heard or not, and disappeared out the door.

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><p>Kurt's house wasn't hard to find and I parked outside quickly before jumping out and hurrying to the front door. I checked the address for the umpteenth time before knocking on the door. Heavy footsteps were suddenly heard on the other side of the door before it was flung open.<p>

"Hello?" said a burly-looking man from the doorway. He wore a plaid shirt and working boots along with a cap, and the grease stains on his shirt told me that he worked with machinery.

"Urm, hello there Mr Hummel? I'm here to see Kurt Hummel. He told me to come over. Is this where he lives?" I asked quickly.

He glanced at me before answering.

"Uh sure, come in. I'll get him now. Are you in the Glee Club? 'Cause I haven't seen you before." he said awkwardly, letting me pass into the house.

"No, no. I'm new to the school. I'm Beth, Beth Tarrant. Kurt was nice enough to show me around school and now he invited me over. He's a great guy!" I explained.

The man, who was obviously Kurt's father, looked taken aback at the fact that someone he didn't even know had just complimented his son.

"Well, thanks. Yeah, he's a great kid. Let me call him."

He walked into another room and I heard him call Kurt's name. A few seconds later the boy in question appeared in the doorway, beaming.

"Beth! Glad you're here. Come on up to my bedroom. Dad, we're going to my bedroom alright?" he called.

"Sure thing." Mr Hummel called back.

"He's usually not this calm when I take my friends up to my bedroom, well, when I want to take _Blaine_ up to my bedroom." Kurt said, chuckling.

"Blaine?" I asked, puzzled.

"You'll see…" Kurt said happily, leading me upstairs and to a room on the far end of the corridor.

He opened the door and I immediately admired the room and what he'd done with it. It had a large window, and en suite bathroom, and it was decorated in delicate shades of cream and white. I walked in, about to sit on the bed, when i noticed another boy propped on the desk chair, smiling at me.

"Beth…this is Blaine, my…boyfriend." Kurt said, gesturing to the stranger.

It had been obvious to me from the beginning that Kurt was well and truly gay as the fourth of July and it was very nice to see that he'd found someone to be with. Especially someone as good-looking as this. I beamed at Blaine as he stood up to greet me.

"Nice to meet you Beth. I tell you, Blaine hasn't stopped talking about you since I came round. And I'd like to add that you seem just as wonderful as Kurt's been telling me." he said sweetly, his warm eyes gazing into mine.

"Thanks." I said happily. "I must admit, I haven't heard anything about you."

"Haven't you now?" Blaine grinned wickedly, looking at Kurt. "Perhaps he was too embarrassed?"

Blaine was obviously teasing Kurt and the way the porcelain-skinned boy giggled it was obvious how much they liked each other.

"You don't go to McKinley do you?" I asked Blaine as I sat on the bed.

"No. I attend the Dalton Academy for boys."

"Ooh, an only boys school? And where is this wonderful school might I ask?" I asked playfully, raising my eyebrows.

Blaine laughed before sitting back down, this time on a white bean bag chair. "So, Kurt…what're the plans for the night? Wanna watch a DVD you guys?"

"Sounds good to me." I replied, immediately at ease with this new boy. He seemed more accepting than anybody I'd met today, except for Kurt.

"Great!" added Kurt. "…but didn't you wanna talk about school Beth?"

"Oh yeah!" I said, completely having forgotten about my original mission. "I just wanna ask some questions about the students, who likes who etc etc."

"Ah.." said Blaine. "Kurt's an expert on gossip."

"No, I'm not Blaine." answered Kurt, throwing a sequinned pillow at his boyfriend before flopping beside me onto the bed. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, to start off with…that Sam guy. He's the one with the blond hair right? Big lips? Super cute? What's his deal with that pretty blond girl in the cheerleading uniform?"

"Well, that's a long story. About Quinn, the blond girl mostly. I probably better start at the beginning. You see, last year she was pregnant with Puck's baby, that's the guy with the mohawk…"

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! <strong>Reviews are ALWAYS welcome :) x


	3. Learning The Game

The next morning my head was buzzing after everything Kurt had told me. I felt better about going to school...not only because I now had Kurt, and the lovely and dapper Blaine, as a friend and an ally but because I felt I knew the kids I was trying to get to know. Well...fair enough, I hadn't been trying to get to know them. My only attitude so far had been pretty sullen and shy, but now I felt a lot more positive towards the students and the whole schooling system.

I was silent in the car on the way but it was because I was thinking about how to get around these kids. Start with the guys Kurt was friends with...Mercedes, the diva, Tina, the gothic Asian, Mike, the quiet Asian, Artie, the wheelchair nerd and Finn, Kurt's stepbrother.

I vaguely remembered Finn from my brief entrance in the Glee room the previous day. He'd seemed lazy and rather sheepish and Kurt had pretty much confirmed this personality as well as adding that he was a great kid with his heart in the right place.

The most interesting thing Kurt had told me was the standing of the Glee Club in school and how things had changed, or hadn't in some cases, over the course of the past year or so for them. I recalled the previous conversation as I leant back in the passenger seat.

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><p><em>"Since when have you been in Glee Club then, Kurt?" I asked the porcelain-skinned boy who was perched on the head of the bed, painting his nails with clear polish.<em>

_"Just over two years now. This is my third. It's not been an easy ride though..."_

_He paused, nail polish brush in mid-air as he grimaced momentarily. Blaine crossed over from the desk chair to perch beside him. He glanced at me._

_"Kurt had a...trying few years in New Directions..." Blaine began._

_"New Directions?" I asked, puzzled._

_"The McKinley Glee Club's name." Kurt interjected, leaning into Blaine's embrace._

_"Yeah, he transferred to my school, Dalton Academy, last year because-" _

_He paused and I glanced from one boy to the other. A sickening uneasy feeling began forming in the pit of my stomach._

_"What?" I asked quietly, carefully lacing my fingers together._

_Blaine glanced at Kurt who nodded quickly before turning back to his manicure._

_"...because this guy, this bully, was tormenting him. Making his life hell on earth basically." Blaine concluded, tightening his grasp around his boyfriend._

_"Tormenting you? Did somebody do something about it?" I asked, shocked._

_I hated bullies. Sure, I was a rightful queen of sarcasm and dry humour but bullies were not cool with me. They were mostly just insecure freaks in my mind._

_"No. So I transferred. Nobody really cared." Kurt said quietly._

_"Stupid anti-gay neanderthal I take it?" I said._

_Kurt nodded. _

_"A jock. He'd basically just been making all our lives in the Glee Club hell. Slushie facials at regular intervals, beating us up. All forms of enjoyment they liked to entertain themselves."_

_"But aren't most of the guys in New Directions jocks themselves?" I asked, considering what Kurt had told me earlier._

_"Yeah. Puck, mohawk guy, used to be the most popular guy in school, The Stud...I guess he still is, but he, and all the rest of the guys get slushies and beat ups just like the rest of us."_

_"Didn't winning Nationals help anything? Didn't it shut up this stupid neanderthal jock?" I persisted._

_"Not really. Well, Dave, the neanderthal, is better now. At the end of last year, him and Santana, the satanic girl from glee club, put together this gay protection club thing where they both escorted me to and from class. And he apologised."_

_Kurt seemed amused at reminiscing about the gay protection club thing and he rolled his eyes playfully. Blaine suddenly cut in._

_"Kurt...I think you're forgetting one key thing here."_

_"What?" Kurt and I both chorused._

_"Dave kissed him."_

_"WHAT?" I squeaked, covering my hands quickly._

_"Uh-huh." Kurt nodded slowly._

_"After he treated you like crap? Or is that why?"_

_"That's why. He kissed me, I kind of rejected him and he threatened to kill me if I told anyone. Not that I would." Kurt said casually, putting his nail polish to the side before blowing on his wet nails._

_"Kill you? I can't believe this. I hate that guy."_

_"He apologised." Kurt reminded me._

_"We guess he's just sexually confused." Blaine added._

_"I tried to get him to come out at Prom when I was made queen, like I told you, but he just ran off."_

_"You can kind of see why, but it would've changed a lot." concluded Blaine._

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><p>My first class was English and I traipsed in still daydreaming about how I was going to befriend some of the kids. I hadn't decided whether I would actually pursue the Glee kids. They seemed to have it extremely tough, especially Kurt, and I didn't know if I wanted to get into that. It seemed that the best thing to do at this school was to lay low, get to class, get out of class and stay out of trouble.<p>

I suddenly stopped myself. What was I thinking? Kurt had opened up to me about all his troubles, about all his troubled past. I wasn't going to leave him hanging, and his other friends looked like great people. I didn't have to actually join the glee club did I? I could still be friend with these guys.

I was suddenly knocked out of my thoughts, firstly, by a sweet yet savoury smell and secondly, by a large book being thrown down onto the table next to me. I saw a flash of red jacket before a rather lanky boy slumped down next to me, his blond hair dazzling me momentarily.

He caught me looking and grunted a quick, "Hey". It was Sam, the newest jock and a member of New Directions. He still looked asleep as he took off his jacket, revealing a buff set of muscular arms and a toned body underneath the green shirt he was wearing. I turned away and started opening my own English book, which looked fresh compared to Sam's ruffled one.

"Bit early in the morning?" I said to him, trying to keep my composure.

I'd never really pursued any boy before. I hadn't really been in any school long enough to get to know them. My father had promised me though that I would be staying here for at least the remainder of the school year so I could graduate properly.

"Too right." Sam said, widening his eyes and blinking rapidly so as to awaken himself. "You're Beth? Is that right?"

"Yep, Beth Tarrant. And you're Sam. Kurt told me." I replied, dodging his questioning look.

"Yeah, well I know what it's like to be new around here so I won't be tough on you." he said, casually punching me on the arm before freezing his hand in mid-air, maybe realising that I was a stranger and not an old friend, or maybe remembering that I was a girl and not Finn or any of the other jocks.

"Thanks." I said, putting on a giggle so as to avoid the awkwardness. Although, in truth, the giggle made it more awkward, as who was I kidding? I was attracted to this guy. Ever since I'd surveyed him in the cafeteria yesterday. I liked the way his blond hair flopped over his eyes which were a cute blue colour.

I think he saw me looking at his hair as he quickly blurted out.

"It's not dyed!"

The class, the remainder of who were quickly taking their seats around us, paused and glanced towards us. Sam blushed and hung his head, pretending to search through his bag. As the crowd looked away I leant forwards.

"You sure blondie?" I said playfully, quickly remembering that my true persona didn't fit in with the overly-friendly girl and that I still wanted to keep a bit of fieriness which was who I truly was.

Sam glanced up at me, before answering my own grin before the teacher finally called us to attention.

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: Hope you enjoyed it! I know I haven't been very good at keeping up with posting. I'm trying to write more now that I'm off school though.<br>Right, I know at the start I said that this was going to be an OC/Santana pairing so don't be disappointed just yet. You never know what will happen. I just really like Sam's character and wanted to have some fun there first. I actually have another idea for a Sam fic out of writing this! Yay!**

**Please review, they're what keeps me going! :D**

**Thanks**


	4. Keeping Control

**Author's Notes: So basically, I thought I'd just explain where this story falls season-wise. If you've read this far you've probably already realised that it happens after Season 2 and after Nationals. Although that I'm keeping with this and in-line with previous events of the past seasons I may not keep with the couples like Samcedes and stuff 'cause I wanna expand on Sam as a character etc. So basically you'll just have to see how it goes! :)**

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><p>Another few days had passed and I was now on speaking terms with Mercedes, Tina and Artie who were regular gossipers at Kurt's usual lunch table. They were pretty nice kids yet I had bigger fish to fry before I settled to anything.<p>

Sam had taken to passing me in the corridor with a quick "Hey.", a flick of his hair and a smile. He was very cute although I couldn't help thinking there was more to him. I enjoyed english class much more than I used to in my old school as we usually sat next to each other, him making me laugh at regular intervals with his stupid Shakespeare impressions.

I had to constantly remind myself that I wasn't finished with my friend-making scheme yet and I didn't want to throw myself at any boy. I liked to stop by the noticeboards on the way to my various classes. The show-choir sign up sheet was still up with only the top half filled with names. I hadn't even considered joining. The football and Cheerios try-outs were long gone even before I arrived at McKinley and it confused me that the Glee club were still recruiting a good month into the new school year.

"Looking at the noticeboards again? Why don't you just join the chess club already, you know you want to!" Mercedes joked one day as she came over to join me in my usual spot, staring at the notices.

"Very funny." I replied amused, rolling my eyes. "Mercedes...you're in Glee, why is the sign up sheet still up? Auditions should have been over ages ago, right?"

"Right." she said. "...but, we could always do with more recruits in Glee. We only have 13 kids. One above the cut-off point and I doubt that Zizes will stick around for much longer this year. Her and Puckerman are on the rocks again..."

I was confused.

"Zizes? Puckerman is that mohawk guy right?" I queried, turning to the diva.

"Yep, and Lauren Zizes is his girlfriend. I'm sure you've seen them around. She's the bad ass girl around school...except for Santana of course."

I shook my head as I tried to rack my brains...trying to place the face. Nope, nothing. Mercedes sighed.

"You should consider joining Glee, girl...you'd get to know a lot more people easier and we need more people..." she said, trying to persuade me.

"Glee? No thanks. I've only been here a few days and I already see how you're treated." I said shortly.

"Hmm...maybe you're right. You shouldn't join Glee Club." Mercedes replied, her voice suddenly cold.

I glanced at her, confused. What had I done now?

"What do you mean? Why?" I asked.

"That negative attitude towards Glee is exactly the reason why people bully us. They're all the same. I didn't think you were like that though. Kurt can usually sniff 'em out. I'll see you."

I stood rooted to the spot with shock as I watched Mercedes storm off down the corridor. I immediately regretted my attitude. Why did I have to say that?

As I walked to my next class, wood-shop (the only elective that had enough room left), I pondered on whether I should join Glee Club. What would it do to my already non-existent reputation around here? Mercedes seemed happy enough, so did Kurt...although the tales of his past did not motivate me. By the time I'd arrived at home I'd convinced myself to at least go and talk to Mr Schuester, who'd been very welcoming at the start of the year...and this could help me fit in more, if only in the tight-knit Glee crew.

* * *

><p>At 4pm the next day I walked stiffly down the deserted corridors to the choir room. I could hear the band bustling about inside, setting up their instruments and chatting to each other. I supposed they had band practice since I was pretty sure that the show-choir didn't have practice on a thursday. The door had a glass-panel but before I could look inside I stepped back and took a deep breath. Did I really want to do this? Yes. I hated the way Mercedes had treated me the previous day and wanted to prove to her that she wasn't like the rest of the stupid school neanderthals. I took a step forward again and glanced inside the door. I gasped. The entire Glee club was in there, perched on several chairs on the far side of the room. Damn it. I'd have to come back another day, tomorrow maybe.<p>

As I stepped away I heard quick footsteps behind me before a bright, over-enthusiastic voice greeted me.

"Hello. Are you the new girl? What are you doing here? Did you want to speak to Mr Schuester?" the bubbly girl asked me, her eyes flashing a thousand different emotions all the same time.

"Erm...no, I wa-Glee...does- never mind. I'll come back." I said quickly, side-stepping her, but she was too quick for me.

"You wanted to audition for Glee Club? Show-choir? But...but you're so- so cool." she said, her voice tainted with disgust and disbelief.

"I'm new here. Barely anyone knows me. I'm not popular." I said defensively, for a reason I did not know of.

The annoying girl gave me a once over before beaming at me.

"I'm Rachel Berry, the star of New Directions. Come on in." she said brightly, grabbing my hand in hers and pulling me inside the room.

"Urm..no-no-I..." I stopped mid-stream as everyone's eyes fell on me and Rachel dragged me to the middle of the room.

"Mr Schuester. We have a possible new recruit." Rachel Berry stated, making the teacher turn to face me, his face kind and open.

I suddenly remembered Kurt talking about Rachel, in great detail, accenting her worst features; her assumption of being superior to everyone else vocally, her extensive knowledge of every musical production ever staged, her large nose which she stuffed into everyone's business. I sighed. She really was annoying. I searched the crowd of students quickly and spotted Mercedes who looked surprised to see me. I smiled sincerely at her before turning to Mr Schu.

"Thank you Rachel." I said through gritted teeth. "Er...hi Mr Schuester, I'm Beth. Do you remember me? I'm new here. I wanted to talk to you about joining Glee Club."

* * *

><p>That first meeting of Glee Club had passed in a blur. Apparently everyone was required to sing to gain entry to show-choir, an aspect which I hadn't even considered. How stupid of me, I though to myself. Although, sitting on my bed that night, I had something much bigger on my mind, something which demanded all of my attention.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Why don't you take a seat Beth..." Mr Schu said, pointing to a spare chair. "...and you can sing for me tomorrow."<em>

_"Why can't she sing right now?" a girl piped up from the midst of the kids._

_It was a fair suggestion, seeing as I was there and probably ready to sing but something in the girl's voice told me that she didn't mean it at all fairly. Her words sounded steely and edgy. I scanned the several faces in front of me before finding the owner of the voice._

_"Well, we should give Beth a time to preapre, don'tcha think Quinn?" Mr Schu replied cheerily, motioning for me to sit down._

_I didn't move. I recognised her from the lunch room and the various times I'd seen her in the hallways. She was wearing the same dirty look which she always wore when our eyes met. I'd had enough.  
><em>

_"Fine." I said, stepping over to Mr Schu and whispering in his ear what my song suggestion was._

_He beamed at me "Brad takes care of the musical arrangements or Paul from the band."_

_He pointed out both people and I waltzed over to the young bass player and whispered what I wanted to play. He conversed with the band quietly before giving me a thumbs up. I did the same with Brad and he nodded._

_"Right..." I said, marching to the middle of the room as Mr Schu gave me a mike._

_You got designer shades just to hide your face  
>And you wear them around like your cooler than me<br>And you never say hey or remember my name  
>It's probably 'cause you think you're cooler than me<em>

_As the music played in between verses I strutted around the edge of the cluster of students, taking to the steps onto the mini-stage which their chairs were sat on. I ran my hand along some boy's shoulders before returning to the mike stand._

_You've got your highbrow shoes on your feet  
>And you wear them around like it ain't sh-<br>But you don't know the way that you look  
>When your steps make that much noise<br>Sh!_

_I placed my right index finger up to my lips as I stared directly at Quinn. I hoped she wasn't feeling as confident now. Her mouth was still pressed in a scowl yet her eyes were losing that look of cocky bitchiness. As the song came to an end, Mike and Tina were clapping to the beat along with Kurt. Finn, Sam and the mohawk guy were singing along with me. Rachel sat beside Finn with her arms crossed. I was breathless as the last few notes played._

_"Brilliant, Beth!" Mr Schu applauded, getting up from his seat and patting me on the back. "I think we can all agree on a decision here kids?"_

_The entire room clapped except for Quinn, Rachel and a dark-haired girl from the back._

_"Urgh...Mr Schu is so creepy." I heard her whisper aloud to a ditzy, blonde girl who sat next to her. The blonde giggled non-commitedly. I barely noticed as at that moment the dark-haired girl's eyes met with mine and she scowled._

_"What you think you looking at, freak? This is Glee Club, not the honour roll. Get over yourself."_

_I blushed before rushing to a spare seat by Kurt. He leaned over, patted my knee and whispered in my ear._

_"You were brilliant. Don't worry about Satanic Santana back there..." he raised his voice and glared at the girl as he proclaimed her title before lowering it again as she ignored him. "...she's always like that."_

* * *

><p>I lay back on my bed, my heart beating like a drum. The things Santana had said hadn't bothered me, they had barely piereced me at all in actual fact. I wasn't afraid of her either which made me worry even more about why a blush had been quick to colour my cheeks. I flung my arms back behind me on the pillow and I groaned. Her voice, her devilish and sarcastic attitude, her long and lean legs which she'd crossed over each other, the tiny jacket she wore over her nonchalantly tiny dress. She was perfect.<em><br>_


End file.
